New York City’s Jewish Council Speaker Julie Menin is set to announce a new City Council task force to combat antisemitism, creating a separate effort from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pending Office to Combat Antisemitism.

The council task force will consist of seven council members and staff, with Jewish Caucus members Inna Vernikov (R-48) and Eric Dinowitz (D-11) serving as co-chairs. The group will operate independently from the mayor’s office, which has not yet been fully established.

Menin said the task force is intended to address a rise in antisemitic incidents in the city and will focus on education, community safety and legislative action.

The task force will be responsible for holding hearings, making policy recommendations and advancing Menin’s five-point legislative plan to address antisemitism. Menin is also reportedly considering granting the group subpoena power to compel testimony.

Vernikov said she proposed the idea for the task force and approached Menin after she became speaker earlier this month. Dinowitz said the group is open to working with the mayor’s office once it is operational.

The announcement comes as questions persist over the status of Mayor Mamdani’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, which has yet to name a permanent leader.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)